Heart valve surgery can be used to repair or replace diseased heart valves. For example, heart valve replacement may be indicated when there is a narrowing of the native heart valve, commonly referred to as stenosis, or when the native valve leaks or regurgitates. Surgery to repair or replace diseased heart valves can be an open-heart procedure, conducted under general anesthesia, in which an incision is made through the patient's sternum (sternotomy), and the patient's heart is stopped while blood flow is rerouted through a heart-lung bypass machine.
Post-surgery, patients temporarily may be confused due to emboli and other factors associated with the heart-lung machine. The first 2-3 days following surgery are spent in an intensive care unit where heart functions can be closely monitored. The average hospital stay is between 1 to 2 weeks, with several more weeks to months required for complete recovery. Given its highly invasive nature, this type of surgery is often unavailable as a treatment option for patients with compromised ability to recover.